Columbus Blue Jackets (-102) at New York Rangers (-108)

These two teams had opposite starts to the season. The Blue Jackets came out hot and have gone 9-4-1 up to this point in the season. The Rangers came out stumbling, losing seven of their first eight games. After losing seven of eight, the Rangers have gone 5-2 since including the three-game winning streak they are on right now.

The Rangers enter the matchup after back-to-back overtime victories against the Panthers and the Lightning. The last home game the Rangers had was a 6-4 victory to the injury-riddled Vegas Golden Knights. New York will face a real challenge as the Blue Jackets come in after a shootout loss to the Lightning.

This matchup will be the second game between the Rangers and the Blue Jackets. Columbus took the first game by a score of 3-1. That game was held in Columbus and was a tightly-contested affair. Kevin Hayes opened the scoring in the first period, but the rest of the game was dominated by the Blue Jackets. A second period goal by Seth Jones tied it up and third period tallies by Artemi Panarin and Lucas Sedlak finished it off.

In the first matchup Lundqvist was forced to make forty saves and it still was not enough. Sergei Bobrovsky made thirty-seven saves in the winning effort. Last season the Blue Jackets went 3-2 against the Rangers. Both Bobrovsky and Lundqvist are expected to get the start again Monday night.

Columbus’ biggest weakness on the season has been their power play. The Blue Jackets power play has scored five goals on forty-three attempts. While it has been awful, the Blue Jackets were able to score two goals on four attempts against the Panthers. Columbus will be hoping to build off that performance and begin to build up a better powerplay.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Rangers Prediction

The Blue Jackets have gotten a good mix of scoring early in the season. Columbus has had young stars like Bjorkstrand, Werenski, Milano and Dubois step up to help produce. The Blue Jackets also have players like Panarin, Jones, Foligno and Dubinsky produce points, but have also added a veteran leadership on the team.

With the depth scoring and strong play of Bobrovsky, the Blue Jackets have been a strong team. As underdogs I believe they are a great pick, especially if Columbus can get the power play rolling.

Winnipeg Jets (+130) at Dallas Stars (-144)

Winnipeg starts a tour of the desert on Monday night in Dallas. After that, the Stars will continue to Las Vegas and Arizona. The Jets have been a solid team to start the year, Winnipeg has gone 7-3-3. Dallas has been up and down all season with an 8-6 record.

Winnipeg hosted Dallas on November 2. The Jets dominated that game 5-2. Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine and Tyler Myers all added tallies in the first period to give the Jets a 3-1 lead. Mattias Janmark added a goal in the second period, but two third period goals by Mark Scheifele finished the Stars off.

The Stars have not been consistent this season. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn have been most of the Stars offense for the fifth straight season. It is not bad that Seguin and Benn lead the team in points, but Dallas has very few players helping Seguin and Benn out. If the Stars are forced rely on Seguin and Benn to generate all the offense for the whole season, they will have difficulty being consistent.

Ben Bishop was brought in to help the Stars get back to the playoffs. So far, Bishop has posted a .913 save percentage and a GAA of 2.66. He will need to improve those numbers to give the Stars the elite goaltending they need.

After a rough start to the season, Connor Hellebuyck has taken the starting goaltender in stride and has posted elite numbers. Hellebuyck has a .932 save percentage and a GAA of 2.24. He has posted a 7-0-2 record. If he can continue to post numbers like this, he will be the backbone the Jets need to propel themselves into contention talks.

Backup goaltender Steve Mason has been less than impressive posting a .872 save percentage and a GAA of 4.84. On top of that, Mason is still looking for his first win as a Jet, he has gone 0-3-1.

Patrik Laine had a great rookie season last year, scoring thirty-six goals and coming second in the Vezina Trophy race. In the first eleven games of this season Laine was only able to score four goals. After admitting he needs to do better, Laine followed it up with a goal in back-to-back games.

Winnipeg Jets vs Dallas Stars Prediction

As an underdog, the Jets are a great pick. If Laine can continue to heat up, the Stars will have an issue winning this game. The Stars will be looking to find some consistency, but up against the Jets team that beat them a few nights ago it will not be easy.

Online Sports Betting

SafestBettingSites.com

We are an informational website that is focused on online betting sites. This website does not accept wagers or provide any gambling services. We use affiliate links and may receive compensation from the sportsbooks we promote and review.

Problem Gambling

If you do have a problem with gambling then we suggest that you visit the National Council on Problem Gambling and Gamblers Anonymous. These sites are both great resources and can provide you with help for your addiction.